by P. S. Power
You didn't, when you knew a thing to be true. You just thought that anyone that said otherwise was insane.
"I was thinking the same thing. It would mean setting up where people died, but the bodies have all been moved. So if that doesn't bother you, I think we should do it. We can hook the house water pump into the wall river for now. Or, if you want, we could set up our own wall with a river on it in miniature. Feed it out of the King's River? Or is that too outrageously gaudy?"
There was a considering look on her face as she looked around.
"It's an idea, actually. That way we could both mark our place as special and at the same time be protected from minor attacks. It's horribly tacky, of course. Can you make it glow brighter than the one Tor built, do you think? If we're going to do it, we should make an effort to do it right. People will complain, but if they're busy going on about that, they might not notice that you're as young as you are, until it's too late." She tilted her head to the side and waved at an area about a quarter mile from the edge of the worked land, toward the river a bit. "There? We can set up now, and rent the space for a year or two in advance. If you want to, I mean."
Timon didn't bother to speak, just seeing to it all over the next hour. He even had a water flow going to it, reaching over the new garden area in a clear stream, returning to the feed in a different line when it was done. He expected a very large wait, because the last time that he'd set up a house it had taken a few hours, but the man that took the taxes was there before they went in to start making furniture and curtains appear.
"Countier Lairdgren! Lady Baker. Are you setting this up for the week, or..." There was a slightly leading tone then, and the man, who was a bit older and dressed in plain gray, with a nice vest that day, tried not to smile about it all.
"Hello! We're setting up for a time. Call it a year? I can pay today. This would be six lots worth right now, but we're going to put in a wall. Magical, so it can be taken down, but we'll want double that at least. What would that run?"
The man winced a bit, and did the math out loud, twice.
"Near on forty gold, sir. That's after the ten percent discount for paying in advance."
Timon wanted to hesitate himself, since that was a lot, but he had it, and could get more. Trice went to get it and came out with it all in a nice blue velvet sack. The man looked apologetic, but counted it anyway, smiling at the extra two gold.
Trice winked.
"That's for your time, coming out so quickly."
"Thank you, ma'am!" He pocketed them right there, and then looked around the mess that Gerent had started to make. "If you don't mind me commenting, this is a good spot. The little Lairdgren told me that this would be for everyone, but it will make the lower folk rest more easily knowing that someone is here to guard us as we sleep. After the attack coming from this way, a lot of folks have felt like it might happen again at any time."
That the man thought that he and Trice were the people for the job didn't make a lot of sense, but his wife smiled at it and gestured toward the back.
"We'll have guards. It only makes sense for them to watch the whole area. I think we should set up their barracks back there. Do you think Mona is up to running a place this large?"
"No. She can barely manage my smaller place and still tries to boss Gerent around. Still, she works hard, so we should see that she has a good job with us." Tim felt ridiculous talking like that, but the tax collector just nodded and smiled, as if they were doing things exactly right.
He took off a few minutes later, since carrying that much gold seemed to make him worry a bit and his little cart, while sturdy, wasn't all that fast, his lone donkey having a bit of work ahead of him.
Tim nodded at it and gestured lightly, to indicate what he meant.
"Do you like animals? I was thinking that we should have horses or something. People to care for them too. I hate doing that part of it, but if someone else is scooping up after them and making sure they're fed, I think I might like it."
Trice smiled and shook her head a little.
"I can ride of course, and hunt, but we might want to hold off for a few weeks on setting up a permanent house here. Just in case things change again. Are we staying here tonight?"
Really, it seemed like as good a place as any. They could set things up inside, and make what plans they had for the rest of their vacation. To that end he just followed her in, happily enough, not even thinking anything was out of place with her until she spun on him, her eyes looking slightly wild, as soon as the door shut on the empty and cavernous three story place. It was all one room at the moment, since they hadn't bothered to put anything inside of it yet, except for a blank stone floor of polished black marble.
"Can you believe them? 'It's a good marriage, the Count has spoken against it ending' like that should be enough? Not even Karina stood up for us, that little witch! Even Aunt Connie was in with them on it! Well! Let's see if I make her more of my special perfume for next Noram Day then, shall we?" She crossed her arms and actually tapped her foot on the floor, clearly not faking her response. Then she glared at him, like he had something to do with it. "Why aren't you more upset about this?"
Superficial charm was one of his strong suits, so he bowed to her and smiled, as if he was more than slightly pleased.
"Well, I do get you in the bargain, so it isn't a total loss, now is it?" Besides, her initial response, in the small dining room, had been correct. Fighting with them all about it wasn't going to help at all. It would have just gotten them to be even more firm in their resolve. Things had worked to get them where they were in a complicated fashion, and it wasn't going to be undone by any action of theirs. Not unless she wanted to have him killed. That would be harder than it sounded like, he suspected. At least he hadn't died so far. True, the same could be said for her, but there was no reason for him to feel like that towards his wife. After all, he could have any lover he wanted that would have him, which would, hopefully, be very few for now, and at the same time Timon could live where he wanted, with or without her and no one would even really think it was a problem. Most marriages for the high nobles were little more than for show anyway.
"Though... It is a bit odd that Count Lairdgren would speak against the marriage being annulled. I could see him not caring to bother with it, or even demanding that it be undone, but insisting that we stick with it? That sounds like he has a plan. Probably to control one or both of us. Won't he be surprised when we wrest control of the Assassins Guild and his spy network from him... crap!" Timon said it so sharply that Trice actually started to check him for sharp things that could have stabbed him. It was rather cute really, if a bit patronizing. He shook her off and took a deep breath.
Then he worked it all through carefully, trying to make certain he was correct before speaking at all.
"You know, I always thought he just didn't care about me. I mean, Tor is basically his double, in mind and body, his chosen replacement. That's been known for a while. It never occurred to me that he was planning to set me up too. My bet is that he purposefully arranged for me to work out the Assassins Guild thing, and then maneuvered you into place to marry me." There was a desperate little wave of his hands, as if trying to climb over the problem in his head. "Not years ago or anything, but when it came up and you mentioned it, he didn't fight it at all, did he? Because he wants us to take over from him. Look at the thing with the spy master's position. He fought with the King just enough so that Richard tried to go around him and get a family member into place. Then you end up attached to me and..."
Trice whistled.
"I see it. Not how he did it, if he did, but how it works out for him. What should we do? Abandon the plan and leave him in place while we run off to play traveling merchants? It would serve him right."
"Why? I say we just go and have a chat with him. Slap a Truth amulet on him and ask whatever we need. That or just send a note saying that we stand ready to take over, since we were planning to, regardless. I i
magine that we get twenty years or so anyway, so no need to do it this afternoon. We'll write something up next week and send it off. Or, well, after that. He's about to get married to Bonita. We really need to get them something nice."
"Right. Well, for now, how about the bedrooms being upstairs and a nice large central space down here? Crystal chandeliers and red carpet? A nice gold silk for the walls?" As she spoke she touched the walls, causing it all to happen. Then they walked from room to room, on the lower level, setting up sitting rooms and a huge kitchen, a library, a washroom and restrooms in several places for convenience of the staff. Not that they had any of that yet.
Just as they were about to head up the stairs there was a sound at the front of the place, a loud clang from the bell that Trice had set up. They moved together, both with weapons ready to come out, but when the door was cracked open it was just Collette Coltress and Gerent. He had a basket that looked to have cookies in it.
Timon smiled, meaning it, since these were two of the people in the world he actually liked.
"You came to visit? That's really nice, welcome, please come in. We haven't had a chance to set everything up yet, but..."
Collette moved on him, the front of her rather nice and lacey white dress pressing against him enough that for the first time he realized that she was more than a little fond of him. That or cold. For his part Gerent moved toward Trice a bit more hesitantly, but was pulled into a hug that was at least as warm, even if she didn't mean it internally.
The very good looking blonde that was holding him kissed his cheek gently, and pulled back, not letting go of his arms.
"Timon and Trice! We wondered who was moving in back here. Clearly someone very wealthy, Gerent was just saying that he hoped it would be someone that wouldn't mind his gardening out front."
"Implying that we better not be the sort who would mind?" Tim looked past her at Gerent, who was just getting free of Trice, he clearly didn't want to be, from his body language. "Don't worry, we left a buffer of space so that we won't mess with your plans, and fully expect you to expand out here and even past us. We just wanted to get a good spot before everyone else realized that this was the new high rent district."
The basket got handed off to Trice, since she was the one that Gerent knew best in the room. They had some wine to go with it and fruit juice from Duchy Morgan. He had to run to get it from the craft that was sitting behind the dwelling, the doors made part of the hull to prevent theft. He brought the nice glasses with him and some plates as well. When he came back he found them in the front sitting room, since that was what it had been designed for, entertaining guests like that.
"Here we go! Thank you both for coming. It's good to see friendly faces."
It really was, he realized. It surprised him a little, since it had been a while since that kind of thing had affected him at all. Rather than just feeling sad about his life, for a brief moment he felt almost normal. Then it crashed back in on him, but it was a hopeful thing, wasn't it? He wasn't hungry, so didn't take a cookie, but did have a bit of juice, since it was a nice and tart apple. Gerent and Trice did as well, but Collette had the wine and didn't stand on ceremony, slugging the first one back, and taking a second full glass without asking.
"Things have been a bit tense. My sister and her husband are getting themselves in trouble again, and I'm not sure what to do about it." She took in half the second glass, her face going flat as she stopped swallowing. "That's rather good. A Montblanc red?"
Patricia smiled a bit and topped her glass off.
"Yes. Timon was given it as a gift, from the Countess herself. I would have checked it for poison myself, but he did leave her on good terms."
Laughing, Collette checked her glass, which got Timon to do the same with the others. After all, there was a small chance that someone would try to do something like that, just to cast doubt on other things, wasn't there?
It was all fine, the tile in his hand not setting to glow at all.
"Which one?" Timon wasn't even trying to be a pain when he asked, he really just wasn't certain.
Collette looked at him as if he were mocking her.
"Sorry? Which one what?"
"Which sister and her husband? I know that Bonita isn't married yet, but my grandfather can have his moments, and it's close enough to time that you might have meant them." Turning to Gerent he explained, since the man wasn't used to everyone yet and didn't know all the combinations of relationships. "Bonita is Collette's full blood sister and set to marry Count Lairdgren. So your new adopted mother. She wouldn't be getting into trouble I don't think, but he could be having a bad influence on her. Maria Ward and her husband are the other pair. Really, it's a bit odd that Collette hasn't gotten married yet. Have you considered asking her Gerent?" That was a bit rude he knew, since Collette went slightly blank at the possible insult, and Trice lit up, as if it were a grand idea.
Gerent however, shy country boy or not, simply bowed toward Timon very slightly.
"I haven't even asked if she were open to a date, thank you. I know that, being as kind as she is, she'd say yes, but I don't want to force the issue. Not everyone is interested in people like me."
"You mean a person that controls a big portion of the kingdom's economy, has good family connections, and a very kind and gentle personality? That sort of person?" Trice said it a bit more firmly than she ought to have. Really, if he didn't know better, Timon would have thought he heard a hint of regret in her voice. It should have been there, so maybe he was inventing it?
His newly adopted brother made a silly face at her, but didn't really seem all that troubled. It probably meant he was just hiding it well, since his body was stiffer than normal, meaning he was tense, but otherwise he hid the whole thing well.
"Exactly that. You know how my charm and wit can be so difficult for others to withstand at times? My main point is that I wouldn't want to put Baronetta Coltress on the spot. Tor explained the whole thing about 'The Rules' to me. How if someone asks you to do something with them, like a date or something, you need to be very careful not to insult them. Which means that you have to be careful what you ask, so that someone isn't forced to do things they find uncomfortable."
There was a pause for a few seconds and Timon finally stood up and paced for a bit. It wasn't his normal habit, but he could see what had happened there. Tor had told him The Rules, and done it honestly enough, but from his country born perspective. The problem there was that he left at least half the equation out.
"That's not wrong, but there's more to it than that. You have to be careful not to hurt people's feelings, which means you also need to ask for their attention, at least part of the time. The best thing to do there, with someone like Collette, or Trice here, would be to ask them to dinner some night. Or on an event that will last no more than a few hours. That way they can let their own interests be seen, if they have them. As long as you aren't demanding sex instantly and learn to take a hint if they put you off, it should be fine. If you don't ask them, they're going to think you don't like them. True that doesn't mean they won't turn you down when it comes time for sex, but unless you totally miss the less than subtle clues, that shouldn't happen. You'll know when not to ask." Even he had gotten at least that much, just in passing.
"But, I already know the answer, don't I?" He looked down at himself, at his twisted form, which, if Timon recalled correctly, was a good bit less so than it had been even a few weeks before. In another couple of months he might even look normal. Short still, and stockier than not, with an over large head, but symmetrical. "I have a whole life time of knowledge on the subject."
There was no hint of playing in his voice at all. It was just a fact in his world that women didn't find him attractive. Not ones that he wanted to at least. It was going to take more than a few lectures delivered from a boy half his age to fix it, Timon knew.
In a way it was the exact opposite of the problem he had. Gerent was an adult, who wanted the company of women,
and simply lacked the confidence and looks to make it happen. Timon was a child still, who was afraid that women would want him and that it would remind him of pain and terror.
"Maybe you do know the answer, for a low-player in a traveling group. Now you're a Countier and in a very real way, wealthy. Powerful too. For instance, are you paying rent on the land that your garden is sitting on?"
"Oh, no, the Queen talked to the King for me and got that set aside, so that I could do all this without using Tor's funds for it. Rather nice of them."
Timon threw a hand up and smiled.
"See? If I'd asked Queen Constance for a handkerchief to mop my blood from her stone floor, she'd call me names and taunt me for being so weak as to bleed in front of a lady. That's power in a way. There's someone you should ask to a meal too. Her or Princes Veronica. She spoke of you earlier today, the Princess. About gardens, but you're name came up favorably. Neither one of them is actually related to you at all, so it would be totally acceptable for you to call on them. Really, any of the Royal family would probably welcome you." He didn't mean to imply that the man liked other men, since for commoners that was considered a big insult. For nobles such statements were more of an advertisement for future engagements. Timon had just meant that Gerent might find a friend with Alphonse or even King Richard, which he was about to explain when Trice nodded.
"That's really a good idea. I can make some appointments for you. The Queen and Princesses can't really go on dates, but you can certainly call and talk to them. Yes, I'll set that up..." She didn't wait for an answer, or logical denial, just hopping up and coming back a few minutes later, holding her old style communications device in her right hand.
"I'm back in the room with him now. Would two days from now be alright?"